Video of 'Sound of Freedom' Screening 'Shut Down' in Theater Goes Viral

Video footage purporting to show a Sound of Freedom screening being evacuated at a Canadian movie theater has gone viral on TikTok.

The footage, which was labeled as having been taken at a theater in Halifax, Nova Scotia, showed patrons leaving their seats as an alarm rung out in the small screening room. The screen in the theater appeared to be blank.

In recent weeks, multiple videos that have gone viral across social media suggested that viewers were forced out of seeing Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas venues for various reasons. One TikTok user said her theater was evacuated without explanation, while another said the air conditioning was broken during the screening, making the theater "unbearably hot."

Some of the people sharing these videos have suggested that this was part of a move to suppress the film because of its subject matter—an allegation that the CEO of AMC Theatres and Angel Studios, the team behind the film, have vehemently denied.

The movie is based on the life of former Homeland Security special agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel). The story follows Ballard as he sets up Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an anti-child-trafficking organization.

Videos purporting to show problems at screenings have continued to appear on social media. A recent upload by TikTok user @joeyhanley6 showed moviegoers in Canada leaving their seats as a loud alarm rung out.

A caption on the video, which has been viewed more than 1 million times, stated that the screening had been "shut down just like the hundreds of other reports worldwide."

"Theatre problems during Sound of Freedom movie in Halifax," read an accompanying caption. "[It's] true!"

No further explanation was shared as to why the screening had been evacuated. A number of TikTok users flooded the comments section with their own takes, with one stating that they had the same issues.

Countering the claim that a conspiracy was at play, another said they had a similar experience when they went to watch Barbie recently. Another expressed doubt over the claim that there are moves to suppress Sound of Freedom, pointing out that it has made more than $100 million at the box office.

Released on July 4, Sound of Freedom opened to strong audience figures, beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the box office. Sound of Freedom made $14,242,063 on its first day in theaters, while the Indiana Jones flick made $11,698,989 domestically.

Distributed by Utah-based Angel Studios, Sound of Freedom is the first post-pandemic independent movie to pass the $100 million milestone domestically. Remarkably, the film has achieved its box office success ahead of its recently announced release outside of North America.

However, the movie, which has won the approval of former President Donald Trump, continues to be dogged by persistent allegations that it is the focus of a U.S.-wide sabotage effort in the weeks since its release.

In a trio of Twitter posts, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, rejected rumors that his chain was in any way "suppressing" the release of Sound of Freedom.

"Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America," he wrote last month. "So much garbage information is spread. More than ONE MILLION people have watched Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres. More than at any other theater chain on the planet. Yet people falsely claim otherwise. It is so bizarre."

The team behind Sound of Freedom has also rejected allegations that the movie theater chain is sabotaging people's attempts to view the film.

Responding to Newsweek's request for comment, an Angel Studios spokesperson absolved AMC Theatres of any blame for any alleged problems.

"Our theatrical partners at AMC, Cinemark, Regal and beyond have been absolutely wonderful to work with. They're helping us add theaters as we speak, in the middle of the busy summer movie season," Angel Studios' Matthew Faraci said.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas via email for comment.